Jaw adjustment means for slidable side jaw wrench



July 17, 1956 J CULLEN 2,754,709

JAW ADJUSTMENT MEANS FOR SLIDABLE SIDE JAW WRENCH Filed Jan. 17, 1955 IN VEN TOR. fist-PH (a4 451v A TT ORA E Y United States Patent JAW ADJUSTMENT MEANS FOR SLIDABLE SIDE JAW WRENCH Joseph Cullen, Detroit, Mich.

Application January 17, 1955, Serial No. 482,170

1 Claim. (Cl. 81-146) This invention relates to improvements in open end wrenches.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a rugged, easily and rapidly manipulated open end wrench having both coarse and fine adjustments.

Another object of the invention is to provide an open end wrench including sliding means for rapid coarse adjustment of the jaw opening and a screw threaded fine adjustment of the jaw opening.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent by reference to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of an open end wrench embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1 looking in thedirection indicated by the arrows.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary elevational view of the wrench disclosed in Fig. 1 with a portion of the movable jaw thereof broken away to illustrate the construction, the movable Wrench jaw being in a normal coarse adjustment position.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary elevational view similar to Fig. 3 except that a fine adjustment of the movable wrench jaw has taken place.

Referring now to the drawing wherein like numerals refer to like and corresponding parts throughout the several views, the wrench shown therein for the purpose of illustrating the invention comprises a handle 11, a head 12, a fixed jaw member 13 integral with the head 12, and a slidable jaw member 14 slidably mounted in ways 15 cut in opposite sides of the head 12. Above the ways 15, the head 12 is provided with transverse ratchet teeth 16 having their flat faces disposed forwardly toward the fixed jaw member 13.

The slidable jaw member 14 is provided with a hollow passage 17 therethrough and inwardly spaced guides 18 which ride in the ways 15. The top surfaces 180 of the guides 18 are sloped as indicated in Figs. 3 and 4 to permit the slidable jaw member 14 to rock upwardly at the rear thereof. Springs 19 disposed in spring wells in the guides 18 react against the underside 200 of the T-head 20 of the ways 15 to resiliently urge the slidable jaw member 14 to a position in the ways 15 wherein the bottom 140 thereof lies against and parallel to base 150 of the ways 15.

The slidable jaw member 14 is provided with a keyway 21 therein which is open at the rear thereof and partially open at the bottom thereof to accommodate a sliding ratchet block 22 having transverse ratchet teeth 23 therein with the flat faces thereof rearwardly disposed for engagement with the forwardly disposed fiat faces of the ratchet teeth 16 in the head 12. This ratchet block 22 is constantly urged within the keyway 21 by means of a suitable leaf spring 24 fixed by a screw 25 to the rear of the slidable jaw member 14 at a point spaced from the said ratchet block 22. The ratchet block 22 7 is bored and threaded at 26 and the leaf spring 24 is apertured at 240 to accommodate an adjusting screw 27 which,

Patented July 17, 1956 when turned from its normal position shown in Fig. 3, moves the slidable jaw member 14 toward the fixed jaw member 13 whereby to provide fine adjustment of the opening between the fixed jaw 13 and slidable jaw 14.

To accomplish coarse adjustment of the opening be tween the fixed jaw 13 and the slidable jaw 14, the slidable jaw 14 is first tilted toward the fixed jaw 13 which disengages the ratchet teeth 23 of the ratchet block 22 from the ratchet teeth 16 of the head 12, and then the slidable jaw member 14 may be moved to open up the space between the wrench jaws 13 and 14 to a distance greater than the nut or the like to be engaged by the wrench 10. The jaw member 14 is then slid to close the space between the wrench jaws 13 and 14, roughly placing the said wrench jaws 13 and 14 into contact with the nut or the like to be engaged. After this rapid coarse adjustment of the space between the wrench jaws 13 and 14 is completed, the wrench jaws 13 and 14 are brought into fine adjustment against the nut or the like to be engaged by turning the adjusting screw 27 clockwise as viewed from the head end thereof. It is preferable that, after each use of the Wrench 10, the adjusting screw 27 be turned counterclockwise to completely retract the ratchet block 22.

Although but a single embodiment of the invention has been disclosed and described in detail, it is obvious that many changes may be made in the size, shape, detail and arrangement of the various elements of the invention with out departing from the spirit and scope thereof as defined by the appended claim.

I claim:

An open end wrench comprising a handle terminating in a wrench head including a fixed jaw, said wrench head having a pair of ways cut therein with one way disposed on each side thereof, a slidable jaw including inwardly spaced sloping guides slidable and tiltable in said ways, the said ways and wrench head forming a T with the top thereof parallel to said ways and having ratchet teeth therein, the vertical sides of said ratchet teeth facing said fixed jaw, spring means constantly urging the bottom of the guides of said slidable jaw against the base of said ways, the slidable jaw including a ratchet block slidably mounted therein, a leaf spring carried by said slidable jaw resiliently maintaining said ratchet block in said slidable jaw, said ratchet block having ratchet teeth therein formed complementary to and faced oppositely in respect to the ratchet teeth in said wrench head, the ratchet teeth in said block being normally engaged with the ratchet teeth in said wrench head but disengageable therefrom responsive to the tilting of said slidable jaw in said ways, and an adjusting screw telescoped through said leaf spring threaded through said slidable ratchet block with the end thereof bearing against the slidable jaw providing fine adjustment of the slidable jaw in respect to said fixed jaw, the said ratchet teeth providing coarse adjustment of the slidable jaw in respect to said fixed jaw.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 132,057 Cooper et al. Oct. 8, 1872 133,422 Delfer Nov. 26, 1872 412,373 Erickson Oct. 8, 1889 608,735 Walker Aug. 9, 1898 630,421 Stewart Aug. 8, 1899 678,445 Van Note July 16, 1901 781,963 Miller Feb. 7, 1905 805,793 Hanlon Nov. 28, 1905 1,397,214 Hose Nov. 15, 1921 

